


Of Captains and Change

by Kingrey



Series: Eugene Appreciation Week [1]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Eugene Appreciation Week, Gen, POV Third Person, a little bit of hurt at the end, and a guard of my own invention, and my awful naming skills, especially when I also need to name an OC, let it be known that I suck at naming people AND stories, why doesn't the captain have a name huh?? disney why would you make ME name him??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:34:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23856178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kingrey/pseuds/Kingrey
Summary: Eugene Appreciation Week Day One: CaptainThe day when Eugene Fitzherbert became Captain of the Guard was the worst day of Henry's life, hands down - and that was saying something, considering he had spent the last twenty-five years serving as a guard, and had lived through the Princess' kidnapping. That was a hard event to top, but Fitzherbert was a man of many talents, apparently.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Series: Eugene Appreciation Week [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1719106
Comments: 6
Kudos: 72





	Of Captains and Change

**Author's Note:**

> Hiiiii!
> 
> I'm kinda stressed each time I participate in a fandom event even though I crave for content, but I got over myself and posted this!! I hope you'll like it!  
> I just want to say that it's great that this week was organized and, even though I don't know many people in the fandom, I want to thank Fishskiin on tumblr for making this Eugene Appreciation Week! :D

The day when Eugene Fitzherbert became Captain of the Guard was the worst day of Henry's life, hands down - and that was saying something, considering he had spent the last twenty-five years serving as a guard, and had lived through the Princess' kidnapping. That was a hard event to top, but Fitzherbert was a man of many talents, apparently.

"Captain-"

"Not your Captain anymore," the Captain- Henry's best friend- _James_ answered, still packing his clothes quietly, looking smaller than Henry had ever seen him.

"You'll always be my Captain, I- James, _please_ ," Henry pressed, as he took hold of his arm and stopped him in his movement.

"I can't fight Cassandra, Henry, I can't," James said, trying his hardest to hide the tremors in his voice.

Henry didn't answer, because he didn't have any good responses to this. Of course, his friend wouldn't be able to fight his own daughter and even if Henry wanted to argue, he couldn't really stay Captain of the Guard if he couldn't face the biggest threat to Corona. Henry himself was uneasy at the idea, his thoughts always going back to the little adventurous girl that loved to dress up as a guard when she was ten - Cassandra was part of their family, because the Captain was. Well, James, not the Captain anymore, now the one who held the title was-

"Why Rider?"

"Fitzherbert," the ex-Captain corrected sternly, "and he is the leader Corona's Guard needs."

"Is he though? Because I seem to remember you firing him as a guard in one day! Listen, I like Fitzherbert, but as the Princess' friend, not my Captain-"

"Henry." James' look was serious and dark; Henry gulped, knowing already that this was his 'you fucked up' eyes. "Eugene Fitzherbert is Captain of the Guard and, as such, he deserves your respect. He has proved time and time again that he was much more than the Princess' friend, and if you can't trust him, trust _me_ : he will be a good Captain."

And that was that. James left, Fitzherbert accepted his Captain's position after chasing after _another_ Flynn Rider, and Henry stayed quiet, because he wasn't an idiot - most of the guards liked Fitzherbert and were eager to please him, and that was… good. He had to admit it. With Maximus' help, Fitzherbert helped shape up Corona's defenders and Henry, as sceptical as he had been, could accept that he was great at his job. Which didn't mean he liked the situation any better.

After the whole Cassandra's mess had been resolved - and yes, Fitzherbert had been primordial in that, Henry knew thank you - he went back to see James.

And, apparently, in his twenty-five years of service, Henry had become predictable, because his friend was waiting for him with a full meal prepared, looking more relaxed than ever. James even laughed at his confused look, much more playful now that he wasn't his superior.

Henry sat down, and they started to eat.

"And- he's so careless! He's our Captain but he keeps playing pranks on us, as if we were little kids," Henry kept ranting, stabbing his pasta vengefully, "just last time, he jumped out of a closet and startled Pete so bad he fainted!"

James hummed noncommittally, when Henry knew that a year ago, he would have been red with anger. "Well, what if he had been an assassin?"

"What?" Henry paused his fork.

"I mean, Fitzherbert scared Pete so bad he fainted so, what if it had been an assassin? What if Pete fainted then, and let the way open to the King and Queen's chambers?" There was nothing more frustrating than someone trying to use reason when you wanted to be angry, Henry realised, especially when they had a point.

"Isn't there a more normal way to do this?" Henry grumbled anyway.

"I used the normal way with Pete for the last ten years, and he never changed. At least, he won't forget the lesson this time."

God, Henry hated it when James was right. They finished their meal talking about sports, because it was easier this way.

Henry's life kept its rhythm. He was a great and experienced guard so Fitzherbert often consulted him on different strategies and- well, they had very divergent opinions. Henry had respect for the title, so he didn't yell, but he nearly smashed his head on the table in frustration numerous times, while Fitzherbert seemed relatively calm about the whole situation.

"Thanks Henry!" He always shouted as he left, a bright grin on his face, and Henry struggled every time to not grimace too much.

Nonetheless, calling Fitzherbert Captain was almost natural now. Sometimes, thinking back on his Flynn Rider's days left Henry reeling at the changes the kingdom had went through in barely five years - but it also made the fact the he trusted Fitzherbert all the more obvious.

Yes, as annoying, unconventional, and all around infuriating as he thought his Captain to be, Henry trusted him, with both his and his friends' lives - the highest honour there was in his eyes.

"He's so childish," he still moaned over a drink.

"But?" James asked serenely, now used to Henry's constant rants about the Captain.

"But he's so _gooood_ ," was the morose answer. "The guards are the best we've had in years, and we keep learning with him!"

"So there's no problem?" James laughed. "You like him, don't you?"

"... Shut up."

Henry should really stop talking to James - he was getting way too smug with time.

He was overjoyed, however, when James came back to act as Captain for the Princess' wedding - even if it was because he didn't want their current Captain to worry too much about it, since _he_ was getting married. Their planning sessions were delightful, and Henry fully remembered what he loved about James' command - he was straightforward and concise, with everyone given a clear designated role.

That's what he told James after the wedding went on without a hitch - implying not too subtly that maybe, just maybe, he could come back? James was quick to shot this down, however.

"Henry, why do you think this strategy worked?"

"Because it was a good one?" he answered, unsure since he could smell the trap question.

"Yes, it was, as were all my strategies before this one. I'm a great Captain, and I know it, but if this worked when so many other plans failed, it's because it was _Eugene Fitzherbert's_ guards acting under my command."

"That's…"

"True, don't deny it." James smiled and put a hand on Henry's shoulder. "Even you, old friend, you're way quicker on your feet than you used to be!"

"James, you were a great Captain," Henry protested.

"I know! Don't worry, I'm not saying I was bad at my job, I'm trying to make you understand that Fitzherbert is way better with people than I ever was. He inspires the guards, he inspires _you_ to be better, even when you don't realise it."

"But…" Henry sighed, knowing that he didn't have anything to contradict this statement.

"Henry," James insisted softly, "I may have left my position because of the situation I was in, but I am happy. I don't want to be a guard anymore and I never regretted naming Eugene as Captain."

Well, what could one answer to that? Henry bit his tongue, and they changed the topic. Honestly, at this point, he wasn't sure what it was that he didn't like about his Captain - and, perhaps, there wasn't anything. Perhaps he only liked ranting about him, even when there wasn't any fire in his words anymore. Henry's ways were old school, and his Captain's certainly were not, but the Captain was great listener, and he knew how to exploit his team's capacities to their best. The Captain even told Henry once that he liked his brutal honesty.

"I know," Fitzherbert had said, "that you always have Corona's interests at heart when you contradict me. And I also know that, however much you disagree with my solution, you'll never question my orders once they are given so… Thank you for that."

Henry had honest to god blushed under the praise, even if he only answered with a gruff "you're welcome". (He forgot, sometimes, just how much younger his Captain was - his talent overshadowed his lack of experience in certain fields, without mentioning that he was a quick learner - but when Fitzherbert smiled so genuinely, it was impossible to ignore.) And, despite his doubts, Henry had to be fair: none of his Captain's strategy had failed yet.

Well, until now. He probably jinxed them himself with this thought.

"Snow," Fitzherbert groaned feebly, "why is it always snow?"

"Captain?" Henry exclaimed, immediately kneeling at his side, ignoring the snow soaking further his already wet clothes. Henry pushed Fitzherbert back down when he tried to raise himself up on shaking arms. "No, no, don't get up, you fell pretty hard-"

"I- I seem to remember us both falling," the Captain laughed, but he stayed down and that was all Henry wanted. "You okay?"

"I'm- yeah, the others are coming back for us but they didn't have enough rope."

The guards had been trying to find a group of bandits hiding out in the mountains, since they had been taking advantage of the isolation to rob people blind. The Captain had only taken five people with him and, at first, everything went as expected. The Captain sniffed out the bandits by having Henry pretend to be a merchant in a hurry who refused to go around the mountains. They others all hid in the carriage and when he got attacked, they all managed to arrest the three guys - it would all have been perfect, if one of them didn't try to throw Henry off a crack in the mountain, and if his Captain didn't have the bright idea to jump with him in desperate attempt to catch him.

They fell, and Henry had been dazed but that dissipated quickly once he saw his Captain still form not too far from him. Scrambling to his side was the worst five seconds of Henry's life (yes, it topped the day Fitzherbert became Captain. And yes, it wasn't only because he dreaded the mere idea of telling the Princess that her husband was dead, but because… he _liked_ him, alright.)

Thankfully, his Captain was unconscious, but breathing. Henry had to yell at the others to stop yelling because they would bring the mountain down on them, and then they realised the rope they packed wasn't enough, so they made their way back to the kingdom with the three thieves, promising to come back as soon as possible.

"Well, that's between twenty and fifty minutes," the Captain mused quietly, when Henry told him, "depending on if they tell Rapunzel or not."

"It's a fifteen minutes walk to Corona, I don't see how the Princess could make it to us in five."

"She'll find a way," Fitzherbert laughed, and Henry noticed that he was already shivering hard. "You didn't tell me you were fine by the way, don't think I didn't notice."

"I- I'm fine," Henry coughed awkwardly. "I… You saved my life, Captain. Thank you."

Fitzherbert didn't answer right away, and Henry thought that was it - he thanked him and now they were back to manly ignoring their feelings again, as they should. That was why he startled when his Captain's quiet voice interrupted his thoughts.

"You shouldn't have been in any danger."

"... Well, you couldn't predict-"

"I should have!" Fitzherbert exclaimed, sitting up despite Henry's protest. He swayed a little, obviously concussed, but kept talking. "I- Your life, everyone's lives are mine to protect and I should have known- I should have played the merchant part, and you wouldn't have been isolated and unprotected, I-"

"Captain," Henry stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder to calm him, like James had done to him so many times before. Now that he was closer, he could see how unfocused Fitzherbert's eyes were, and there was an impressive bruise starting to form on the right side of his head. "Captain, you did everything right. You couldn't have been the merchant because too many people know your face and you know it! Your strategy was flawless and this accident was just that, an _accident_."

As he was talking, Henry realised that it wasn't just words - he wasn't only trying to comfort and calm a wounded man down, until help could come. He genuinely believed that the Captain - _his_ Captain had made the best plan he could have given the circumstances, and that it was a damn good plan because Eugene Fitzherbert was a damn good leader.

"I think I've never heard you say so many nice things about me in a single sentence," the Captain breathed out, before grinning like an idiot. "Aw, Henry, you do care!

Henry groaned, putting his head in his hands, suddenly conscious that he would not be able to stand another Captain teasing him relentlessly. James was bad enough.

"I think that you're not bad overall, Captain" he answered finally.

"That's as good as a standing ovation, coming for you," Fitzherbert laughed, "and you can call me Eugene, you know, shared near death experience and what not."

"I'd rather stick with Captain, Captain."

"I know in your head you're not calling me Captain everytime," Eugene insisted and… yeah, perhaps he was right, Eugene was easier than Fitzherbert. But he would stay Captain out loud. Before he could say it, Eugene flopped back down and closed his eyes, making every alarm in Henry's head go crazy.

"Captain?!"

"I'm not taking a nap, don't worry," Eugene sighed, looking much too pale for comfort as he opened his eyes back up. "Too cold for that, anyway."

"... You have to stay healthy, Captain, because I'm not telling the Princess you're dead."

Eugene barked a laugh, obviously surprised at Henry's joke. "Is that the only reason you're all protecting me? The threat of Rapunzel?"

"Not the only reason… I'm also not telling Mr. Strongbow."

" _Lance_ scares you?"

"No, the Princess scares me, Mr. Strongbow would cry and I'm not equipped for that."

They exchanged a glance and both laughed. Well, Henry laughed, but he kept a careful eye on his Captain, because he was not really kidding, in the end. Who would he rant about to James without him?

He didn't have to wonder any longer, because he heard the worried voice of the Princess calling their names above him.

"How the hell did she manage to get here so fast?" He said after calling back.

"Told you," Eugene answered cheekily.

The rescue went pretty well, all things considered, the Princess' orders clear and accepting no contradiction. If she ever decided to abdicate the throne, she would make a great Captain, Henry thought bemused. In barely two minutes they had both been lifted up, bundled up in warmer clothing and evacuated in a hot air balloon. Henry was more than surprised to that James was part of the rescue party since, apparently, he had decided to visit right when the other guards came back (and, at this point, Henry half-suspected his friend had psychic powers, he could never hide anything from him for more than one hour).

"You okay?" James asked, and Henry nodded absently, his gaze automatically straying to his Captain as he was being fussed over by the Princess.

He looked still quite dazed and pale, but his smile was warm as he tried to reassure his wife. He was sitting down while she was kneeling at his side. The Princess was carding her fingers through his hair slowly and, at some point, he whispered something and she finally sat down fully next to him, before they snuggled closer.

"So?"

"So what?" Henry startled, his eyes going back to James'.

"Still not convinced by my choice?" James smiled smugly.

Henry groaned, his face a picture perfect of exasperation if one forgot the lift of his lips he couldn't conceal. That was an unfair question to ask when said choice was being all young and cute and heroic right beside them.

"You win," Henry admitted softly, "Eugene Fitzherbert is a damn good Captain."

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure I like this, but I think this of every of my works lol
> 
> I realised halfway that a third person pov meant less Eugene than what I wanted, but hey, I'm a fool. I also had no ideas on how to name either the first Captain of the guard or my OC so I apologize for those godawful names ahah
> 
> I have the next two prompt ready!! But I'm stuck at the AU one because my brain is empty ninety percent of the time so, if you have suggestions, I'm open lmao I feel like everything I've written is awkward but content is content so, maybe, someone will like exactly the same brand of weird as me!
> 
> I already said it but thanks to the people organizing this week and the one participating in it, I hope you all have a great time! I hope you enjoyed reading this and, uh... See you tomorrow? ;)


End file.
